White came to the conclusion, but there were doubts, and to clear them, he ran up once more, just to be unceremoniously sent back from his starting point.

This time, he didn’t run from his first step.

Instead, he took five normal steps upward and from there, he ran up once more.

Just like before, the students watched him suffer the same fate, but this time, there was a difference that White saw, and it made him grin.

He wasn’t sent back to the first step this time, instead, he had been sent back to the fifth step, the step that he had begun his run from.

That meant one thing.

The rune would only send you back from the place you had come running from.

And that was the flaw:

Running!

"Hahahahaha!"

White laughed out loud at the realization. Instead of blitzing forward this time, he began stepping forward at a leisurely pace.

The sight of that finally stirred Vya from his sitting as he also rose up from the throne.

"I have to admit, I was quick to judge. This simulation, you sitting on the throne, it’s a perfect lure for someone to run up in anger only to be thrown back to the starting point, not knowing walking was the way through the technique."

White complimented, as Vya’s hand reached for his gloved right hand and he began to take it off.

He never said a word still, instead grabbing his right hand with his now ungloved hand.

The second they touched, the staff flared with purple light as runes appeared all over the staff.

Stopping 7 steps above White, he pointed the staff at White, who blitzed forward in that moment.

Since the young man had stepped out of the confinement of the barrier, the rune of being sent back no longer had any effect.

"King’s Verdict!"

Like the sharpest blade, the words cut through all of the noise and murmurs as White felt as if time had been slowed down 10x.

He felt and heard exceedingly clear as his own feet stepped onto the ground, and the edge of Vya’s staff burned furiously with a purple light.

"Exile!"

RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIP!

Space was ripped apart as a spear of divine purple lightning burst out from beneath the staff, appearing instantly before White.

’What the!?’

With inhuman speed, White dodged his head to the side, the spear ripping apart his face, yet instead of continuing down to the ground, it suddenly passed right by White’s ear and then—

KAAAABOOOOOOOOM!

A powerful explosion burst through the entire simulation, cracks covering the entire stairway.

All the students saw was both Vya and White rushing toward each other, and all of a sudden, White stretched for his staff and then an explosion rocked the world.

Vya still stood there, staff still outstretched beneath him, in a world that had turned to ruin.

There, on the ground, five meters away from the first step, was White, who was currently crouched onto the ground, his hands resting on his knees as he exhaled loudly.

"Haahahaha!"

A loud laugh echoed through the simulation as Vya, who was slowly putting down his staff, immediately raised it back up with creased eyebrows.

’He dodged the attack!? Impossible!’

Vya thought, as White rose back up.

"I gotta say. That was unexpected!"

White said, asking in his thoughts,

"Did I break the restriction?"

When that attack had exploded by the side of his face, White had still tried to dodge it, and he successfully did, even after he was taken off guard... twice!

But he was also afraid he was only able to dodge because he was able to break out of his restriction using 1,000 points of agility instead of 300 like he planned.

[Actually, you didn’t break the restriction. You’re still using the power of 300 Agility stats.]

The system said, and White exhaled, rising to his feet to look at Vya.

His first attack was Unwanted! preventing an opponent from getting close to him if they ran.

The second was Exile, and that came after an opponent figured that out.

A powerful attack that came out unexpectedly, and too fast to even dodge. And even if you dodged it, it would still explode.

It was just like how a king didn’t want a slave coming up to him, but when he did, exiled him out of the palace.

"King’s Verdict, huh? That’s quite an interesting Awakening."

"King’s Verdict: EXILE!"

Vya called out once more as another powerful spear of purple came flashing towards White, who burst forward to the side, speeding up.

The lightning spear chased after him as White wound around the staircase with absurd speed.

It followed and followed and followed, both zipping first in a curved path until White’s speed came to eventually surpass it, running behind the spear.

The second that happened, he grabbed it at its center, and in the split second that it took for Vya to try and detonate it with his mind—

VROOOOOOOM!

RIIIIIIIIIIIP!

The air parted loudly as the spear ripped forward, appearing instantly before Vya, whose mind froze.

If he exploded it now, the spear would explode right on his face, knocking him out.

That second of hesitation was all that the spear of lightning needed to cross the distance, and in the next moment, blood splashed into the air as a figure was sent flying back only to be nailed back on the throne.

BLEEEERRRGH!

Blood burst out of Vya’s chest, as he found himself sitting back on the throne. Looking down, there, on his left chest was the spear of lightning that had ripped directly through him, coming from behind the throne.

There was no getting rid of it. The only way to do that was to will for it to explode, but if he did, his insides would be completely blown out, killing himself with his own strike.

In the end, he could only watch the blood pour out more, and a gentle whistling reached his ear as he turned up to find White standing before him, his hands reaching for his hand and gripping hard.

"You fought well!"

He said and in that moment turned his back, stepping away from the throne.

"WINNER! WHITE DEADCLAW!"